Internal-combustion engine



April 27,1926. 1,582,241

' .M. A. BOLTQN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 10 1918 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

2, t MY} 0W0 w BY W M ZTORNEYS April 27, 1926.

M. .A. BOLTON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 10 1918 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 w M us N INVENTOR.

Aprifi 2?? 9 19% A,582,2421

M. A. BOLTON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 10, 1918 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

HELL ALLISON BOLTON,

Oil DETROIT; MICHIGAN.

m'rnanan-commsrxon ENGINE.

Application filed June 10, 1918; Serial No. 239,138.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Mam. ALLISON BoL- TON, a citizen of the Dominion of Canadaand residing at Detroit, in the county of WVayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Internal-Combustion Engine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that type of internal combustion engine wherein the ex' plosive charge becomes ignited by reason of the high pressure applied thereto within the working cylinder, and its object is to provide an engine of this character in which the air and fuel portions ofthe charge will be pre-compressed by vseparate pumps and wherein the fuel is vaporized by a blast of inert gas.

This invention consists, in combination with a working cylinder of the two-cycle type, of separate air and fuel compressors to deliver air and fuel under high pressure to the working cylinder, the compressors being so timed that the air will be delivered to the working cylinder previous to the end of the compression stroke and the fuel will be delivered to the working cylinder substantially at. the'end and just subsequent to the compression stroke and be carrled to the working cylinder by a charge of compressed inert gas.

It further consists in utilizing the air compressor to supply air under pressure to the working cylinder at the end of the working stroke to blow out the burnt gases.

It also consists in condensing the water vapor in. the burnt gases and then utilizing thecleanedgases to vaporize the fuel and carry it tothe fuel com ressor to be thereafter conveyed to the wor ing cylinder.

It also consists in spraying water and liquid fuel simultaneously into a passage through which inert gases are assing to a compressor by means of which t e gases and 'thewater and fuel vapors are forced into the working cylinder at the beglnning of the It also consists in providing an engine as above specified with a plural ty of working 0 linders and with a slngle source of mixe water and fuel vapors carried by inert gases to supply the several working cylinders in succession.

prising a .float chamber below the crank case and connected thereto, a valve to normally close the connecting opening between the float chamber and crank case, a reservoir above the moving parts of the engine, and pipes connecting the float chamber with the reservoir and the reservoir with the moving parts of the engine.

in the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an engine embodying my present invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4, Figs. Hand 6, and Figs. 7 and 8 are elevations and bottom plans respectively of the lining for the air compressor, working and fuel compressor cylinders respectively' Fig. 9 is a central vertical section showing the construction of the pistons and ends of the connecting rods. Figs. 10 and 11 are a plan and elevation respectively of a bearing support for the connecting rod end shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 12 is a section on the line 12 12 of Fig. 9.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The present engine-is of the same general type as that shown in my Patent No. 1,250,- 950 dated December 25, 1917, and consists of one or more working cylinders, each provided with a. separate crank-case, air compressor and fuel compressor, but all conconnect the air compressor and fuel com-- pres'sor to the connecting rod of the working cylinder and I prefer to time the operations of the two compressors by the an es between the central lines of the three cylinders. As in "the engine of said patent, the explosive charge wi be ignited by reason of the high compression Within the working cylinder.

The frame or cylinder block 1 of thisengine is preferably integral and the various cylinders are preferabl provided with lmings such as shown in igs. 3 to 8 inclusive. lhe lower portion 2 of the crank case is secured to the cylinder block by screws 3 and between them the bearin 4 and 5 of the crankshaft 6 are mounte This shaft has a crank 7 for each working cylinder and the crank shaft is provided with well known oil passages for the main bearings 4 and 5 and the bearings 8 of the connecting rods 9.

The pistons.

The connecting rod of each working cylinder has a butt 10 provided with pins 11 and 12, and a strap 13. To these pins are attached the connecting rods 14 and 15 of the air and fuel compressors. At the outer end of the connecting rods and uniting them to the pistons 17, 18 and 19 respectivel are balls 20 such as shown in Fig. 9 in or er to provide large bearin surfaces. The piston has a skirting 22 and head '23. A substantially hemi-spherical bearin cap 24 is secured in position by means 0 a stem 25 and nut 26 and into tlus cap is screwed a sleeve 27 having a circumferential lip 28 that sup ports two semi-.circular bearing members 29 that engage the ball. The opening in this sleeve 27 is sufiiciently large to permit it to slip down over the ball, after which the,

members 29 are positioned. The sleeve is then screwed up into the capafter which a locking rod 30 is s rung into holes in the cap and sleeve as s own in Fig. 12. The sleeve 27 is then slipped up into the piston and the nut 26 screwed down to lock the parts together.

The air compressor.

The piston 17 (Fig. 2) uncovers the air admission ports 32 in. the lining 33 at both ends of its stroke and these ports admit air which passes down through the sleeve 34 around the fins 35 on the body 36 of the discharge valve, through an opening not shown The first cmnpa'eseor.

The piston 19 uncovers the ports 42 in the sleeve 43 at the end of the inward stroke and fuel rushes into the compressor "cylinder from the manifold 41. On the outward stroke of the piston the fuel is compressed and forced up through the passage 44, lifting the valve 45 which is held down by the spring 46, and out through the small passages 47 and through the pipe 48 to the top of the working cylinder, the tension of the spring hein regulated by the screw 49 mounted in t e p ug 50 in the upper end of nasaaai The working cylinder.

The piston 18 is slidable in a sleeve 53 provided with a port 54- which is uncovered at the end of the working stroke to permit the escape of'the burnt gases and the admission of compressed air to scavenge the working cylinder. The burnt gases will flow out through this port .54, through the passage 55, around the sleeve 43 and its ribs 56, giving off much of the heat to this sleeve so that it can'tbe transmitted to the fuel being compressed. The burnt gases then pass through the passage 58 an pipe 59 to the radiator where the water vapors in the gases will be condensed. The passa es 55 and 58 are common to the several wor ing cylinders of'the engine.

It will be noticed that the air compressor is about forty-five degrees ahead oh the working cylinder and the fuel compressor is about thirty degrees behind. The angle or timing of the air compressor may be varied so long as the air being forced into ,the outer end of the working cylinder begins to enter after the piston 18 has closed the port 54 and the port,60 just opposite, and so lon as the ports 62 in the air con'1 pressor (w ich connect to the port (SO-by means of a passage 63) are not opened until after the port54 has been fully opened and the pressure of the burnt gases has been fully relieved. It will be noticed that the air enters the crank case through the ports 32 and will be compressed therein by the inward movements of all the pistons. The piston 17 is in advance of the working piston 18 and will open the ports 62 just after the time the piston 18 has opened the ports 60 and 54. he air compressed in the crank case now rushes through the pipe 63 into the working cylinder, and because of its volume scavenges the working cylinder and leaves the cylinder full of clean air.

The timing of the fuel compressor may be I varied so long as all the fuel is forced into the outer end of the working cylinder before the piston therein has moved inwardly an appreciable distance which in practice is before the crank has turned about thirty degrees from dead center, the injection of the fuel preferabl beginning just before the piston 18 reac es the outer end of its stroke. This beginning of the flow will .largely be regulated by the stifi'nessof the spring 46.

' I The radiator.

The radiator 65 (Figi 1) may be of any condensed in the radiator and collect in the tank 73 at the bottom, overflowing through the pipe 74. Water is drawn from the radiator by means of any desired type of pump 75 through the pipe 76' and forced through the pipe 77 to the water jacket 78 of the fuel com ressor ig. 1), and throu h the passage 9 to the water jacket of t e working cylinder and thence to the radiator through the pipe 81. v

The fuel system.

The burnt gases leave the radiator through the pipe 72 and enter the space 84 around the lining 53 of the working cyhnder where a portion of the heat of t e explosions is given to these gases. The gases then pass to the header 87 connecting the several cylinders and by means of the pipe 88 to the mufller 89.

A portion, however, of the gases pass through the connection of pipe 91 to the manifold 41 (Fig. 1)' flowing over the fuel nozzle 92 and over the water nozzle 93. A

fuel tank 91 connects to the bottom of a i float chamber 95 and a needle valve 96 conten trols'the flow of the ,fuel to the nozzle 92. A pipe 97 connects to the water acket of the engine (which is continuous for the several cylinders) and to the float chamber 98, and a needle valve 99 controls the flow of water from the float chamber 98 into the pipe 91. A small lever 100 ivoted at 101 1 2) has two arms 103 ig. 1) that exunder the washers 104 on the stems of the needle valves and any desired means may be employed to operate this lever. The needle valves constitute the control mechanism of the engine. If desired, a butterfly valve ma be mounted in the pipe 91=to be operated y'the lever 105 shown 1n Fig. 2.

,. The oili/ng system.

As stated before,the crankshaft is provided with the oil passages commonly employed in forced lubrication systems. A

reservoir--10! is mounted in any convenient position and oil flows therefrom through the" pipe 108 to the crank shaft. The oil from the bearings drips to the bottom of the crank case which has an opening 109 normally closed b means of the valve 110 connected to the oat 111, and guided by the downwardly extending flange 113. There is one of these float chambers 115 for each crank case and the valve is depressed only where there is sufficient pressure within the crank case. The oil is forced up to the reservoir 107 through the pipe .114 of which there is one for each crank case. Any desired means to move the oil may be connected between the pipes 108 and 108".

It will be seen that by reason of the pistons movin together inwardly and outwardly muc of the time, the amount of air drawn into the crank case is quite large and the amount available to scavenge the working cylinder is ample at all times. The mix-- ing of inert gases with the fuel vapor prevents premature explosions in the fuel compressor and in the passages leading therefrom to the workin cylinder, and the use of water vapor not on y produces more perfect combustion of the fuel but it also serves to render theeifect of the combustion of the fuel more sustained.

The details and proportions of the'various parts of this engine may all be changed without departing from the spirit of my invention. set forth in the following claims.

What I claimis:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the

combination of a working cylinder, and

means for forcing inert gases] carrying the fuel into said cylinder and independent means for forcing air into the working cylinder just before the piston reaches the end of its compression stroke.

2. In an internal combustion engine, the

combination of a working cylinder and a piston therein, means for forcing air into said working 0 linder before the piston in the working cy inder has completed its compresslon stroke, means for mixin inert ases and fuel, and means for forcing the ed fuel. and inert gas into the working cylinder immediately after the piston therein has completed its compression stroke.

'' 3.'In an internal combustion engine, the

combination of a working cylinder and a piston therein, means for forcing air into said working cylinder means for mixing inert gases and fuel, and means for forcing the mixed fuel and inert gas into the working cylinder after the piston has completed its compression stroke.

4. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a working'cylinder, a piston therein, means for forcing air into said working cylinder just before the piston reaches the end of its compression stroke, a passage for inert gases, means for feeding fuel into said passage, means for feeding water into said passage, and means for drawing the mixed gas, fuel and waterfrom said passage and forcing the mixture into the working cylinder.

5. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a working cylinder and a piston therein, a crank shaft and a rod con necting. the piston to said crank shaft, an

air compressor cylinder and a piston there in connected to the crank shaft to force compressed air into the working cylinder, means for mixing inert gases and fuel, a fuel compressor cylinder and piston therein to force the mixed gas and fuel into said Working cylinder, and means connecting the fuel compressor piston to said crank shaft. I

6. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a crank case, a crank shaft therein, a working cylinder mounted on the crank case, a piston therein, a connecting rod between the piston and crank shaft, an air compressor cylinder mounted on said crank case, a piston therein, a rod connecting said second piston to the crank end of the first named connecting rod, the angular position of the air compressor being such that air will be forced into the working cylinder just before its piston completes the compression stroke, means to separate the inert gases of the exhaust from the water vapors, a third cylinder mounted on the crank case, a piston therein and means connecting it to the connecting rod of the Working cylinder, a passage for conveying inert gases to saldsecond cylinder, ad-r justable means for injecting liquid fuel into said passage, and means to convey the compressed gases and fuel to the working cylinder.

8. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a working cylinder and a piston therein, means for forcing air into said working cylinder before the piston in the working cylinder has completed its compression stroke, means for "mixing inert gases and fuel, and means for forcing the mixed fuel and inert gas into the working cylinder immediately after the piston therein has "completed its compression stroke.

9. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a working cylinder, a piston therein, means to separate the inert gases of the exhaust of said engine from the water vapors, a second cylinder adjacent the working cylinder, a piston therein and means for driving said piston from the piston of the working cylinder, a passage for conveying inert gases to said second cyl: inder,.adjustable means for injecting liquid fuel into said passage, adjustable means for injecting water into said passage, and a passage to convey the compressed gas, fuel and Water to said working cylinder.

10. In an internalcombustion' engine, the combination of aworking cylinder, a piston therein, means to separate the inert gases of the-exhaust of said engine from the water vapors, a second cylinder adjacent the working c linder, a piston therein and means for riving said piston from the piston of the working cylinder, a passage for conveying inert gases to said second cyl inder, ad ustable means for injecting liquid fuel into said passage, adjustable means for injecting water into said passage, and a passage to convey the compressed gas, fuel and water to said working cylinder, a third cylinder adjacent the working cylinder, a'piston therein, means for driving the third piston from the piston of the working cyl-- inder, and means for conveying compressed air from the third cylinder to the working cylinder.

MELL ALLISON BOLTON. 

